Tectonic Implications and Petrogenesis of the Various Types of Magmatic Rocks from the Zedang Area in Southern Tibet

Abstract

In this study, we report systematically field observations, geochronology, whole-rock geochemistry and Sr-Nd-Hf isotopic dataset on the various types of magmatic rocks collected from the Zedang area. Chemically, the diabase and gabbro have a low-K calc-alkaline affinity, whereas the basalt and plagiogranite have medium to high-K calc-alkaline characteristics. In addition, the basalts are highly enriched in light rare earth elements (LREE) and large ion lithophile elements (LILE), but strongly depleted in high strength field elements (HFSE), indicating that their magma source probably was derived from a subduction- or arc-related setting. In contrast, both the gabbro and diabase mainly demonstrate an N-MORB-like affinity consistent with normal mid-oceanic ridge basalt (N-MORB) origin. The zircon U-Pb dating results suggest that the basalts were crystallized earlier at ca. 158–161 Ma (Oxfordian stage), but the gabbro was crystallized at ca. 131 Ma (Hauterivian stage of Early Cretaceous). The zircon U-Pb dating results correspond with the field observations that the veins of gabbro intruded basalt. Furthermore, the plagiogranite has a weighted mean age of ca. 160 Ma (MSWD=2.1) consistent with the basalt within the uncertainty. The basalt and the plagiogranite have significantly positive eHf(t) values (+5.8 to +15.6 and +8.6 to +16.1, respectively), suggesting that they were originated from partial melting of a depleted source. However, basalt and plagiogranite are characterized by the wide variations of eHf(t) values indicating minor amounts of exotic crustal material input during the later magma evolution. Additionally, the basalt shows duplex geochemical features of island-arc and mid-oceanic ridge basalt, corresponding to the supra-subduction zone-(SSZ) type affinity. To sum up, two distinct magmatic events identified in this study probably suggest an intra-oceanic arc system existing in the Zedang area during the Late Jurassic, but the intra-oceanic arc subduction extinguished in the Early Cretaceous as suggested by the N-MORB-like gabbro and diabase. Integrated with regional background and different rock types, as well as geochemical features, we conclude that intra-oceanic arc subduction setting developed during the Late Jurassic in the Zedang area, southern Tibet.